China Expels Senior Politburo Member Ma Xingrui in Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption Purge
TL/DR –
China has expelled Ma Xingrui, a senior official of the ruling Communist Party, on accusations of corruption, abuse of power, and trading political favors for sex. This is part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, making Ma the third politburo member to be purged since 2022 and the first civilian official to fall in this latest purge. Ma, who served as the Communist party secretary for the north-western region of Xinjiang, is accused of seeking undue benefits for others in official appointments, improperly accepting gifts and bribes, helping relatives and associates profit from his position, and presiding over “family corruption”.
Senior Chinese Official Expelled Amidst Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption Campaign
The Chinese ruling party dismissed Ma Xingrui, a top official, marking the third politburo member purged since 2022 in Xi Jinping’s continuing anti-corruption campaign.
Accused of corruption, power misuse and trading political gains for sex, former Communist party secretary of China’s Xinjiang, Ma, came under investigation in April for suspected severe law and discipline violations.
The first civilian official to fall in the current purge, Ma’s expulsion follows that of military officials Zhang Youxia, in January, and He Weidong, last October.
Joseph Torigian, a historian of Chinese elite politics, claims Xi Jinping aims to show that even politburo members can be targeted in this crackdown.
China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection slammed Ma for seeking benefits in official appointments, accepting gifts and bribes, enabling relatives and associates to profit from his position, and overseeing “family corruption”.
The expulsion, despite the absence of politically charged language usually seen, reflects a decline in Xi Jinping’s political tolerance, according to Christopher Nye, a fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.
The ousted politburo member, Ma, rose through the political ranks after a successful career as an aerospace engineer and technocrat. His career took off after Xi Jinping’s ascension to office in 2013, leading to his appointment as Communist party secretary of Xinjiang in 2021.
Ma’s tenure in Xinjiang was marked by accusations of arbitrarily detaining over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in “re-education” camps.
Post Ma’s expulsion, officials previously working under him have come under scrutiny, hinting at a potential widening of Xi’s purge.
Additional research by Yu-chen Li
—
Read More US Political News